"Pretty standard really," the Eels warhorse, with blood splattered across his face, said of the kick in the aftermath of his very last match.

"Can kick 'em, just never get the opportunities."

Luke Burt, who also retired on the same stage last night, interjected: "Fluke".

And even that was a lie because Hindmarsh had nonchalantly knocked over three goals from the sideline at training throughout the week in preparation for this very moment. This last chance to shine on the stage he has occupied for 15 seasons.

While the match also marked the end for Dragons captain Ben Hornby and long-time servant Dean Young, it was undeniably Hindmarsh and Burt's night.

Surrounded by thousands of Eels fans on the field, they were given the rousing send-off one-club players, but more importantly better men, deserve.

Wherever you looked, the four retiring players clung to babies and small children, giving perspective on what really matters in life. A professional footy career is merely cream on top.

Burt hugged his father Dave for an eternity. What had the old man, on Father's Day, said to his son?

"How proud he was," Burt said. "How much he loved me."

He struggled to get the words out as he said it. Any tears?

"Not yet," he smiled. "I'm sucking them up. My dad always gets me. It's one of those nights where I am just that happy and I can't ask for anymore out of my career. I would've been happy with one game, let alone what I've done.

"To be able to finish on a night like tonight, in front of this crowd, it's just a wonderful thing. My mate Caylo (former Eels captain Nathan Cayless) didn't finish as he wanted, and my old mate Hindy. We can talk crap for years and enjoy it."

Burt said this with a purple bruise of his right cheek. "I got busted everywhere," he laughed. "It was probably the most busted I've been after a game. Chest, fingers, eyes."

Young knew how he was feeling. His knees have been screaming like banshees for years, although he has only yielded to them in the last few months.

He came on after just 11 minutes, after hooker Mitch Rein was helped from the field with a busted ankle.

When it was over, his body thanked him.

"Relieved at the moment," he said when asked how he was feeling.

"If you watched me play tonight, I've had enough. I've got nothing left to give. I'm glad it's all over, it'll probably hit me like a tonne of bricks in the next three days or couple of months. I don't know when it's going to hit me - it hasn't hit me yet."

Hindmarsh felt the same. Happy yet numb about the approaching reality that it was all over.

"It's a bit sad to be honest with you, sad the way we finished," he said. "It will probably hit me about midday tomorrow, after a few quiet ones.

"We'll start getting a bit deep, you know what you do when you're men and you have a few beers. Of course, I'm feeling emotional now, I'm not playing rugby league any more."

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